'Abigail (2024)' sucks... the blood of her enemies in this enjoyable horror flick from the yet-to-miss Radio Silence filmmaking team. While this might be their weakest effort to date, it's still a fun and delightfully gooey slice of B-movie goodness that may suffer from an occasionally stilted screenplay but makes up for it with its willingness to embrace its inherent absurdity. It's not scary, but it doesn't need to be; it's wholly concerned with keeping you entertained, and is all the better for it. The strength of its opening act is dramatically lessened by the unfortunate fact that the marketing not only spoils a fairly major twist but also makes sure it's the one thing you definitely know about the movie before you watch it. The first segment is wholly concerned with building suspense, so there's the inevitable sense that we're three steps ahead of it simply because we've seen the trailer. In turn, this makes the already leisurely build-up feel even longer than it is. It's not the film's fault, though, and it's difficult to even hold a grudge against the marketing department considering the USP of the piece is meant to be a reveal. The flick finds its footing almost as soon as its eponymous villain drops her little act and starts tearing people to shreds with glee. Even the somewhat lacklustre finale - which is based around a fairly unbelievable heel turn - is still really enjoyable and as blood-soaked as you could hope. It's perhaps a little unconfident, seeming as though it feels like it needs to finish up a certain way just because that's the done thing, but it's not a major step down from the more consistently compelling middle portion. Ultimately, this is as entertaining as it is unrefined. With a strong cast (Dan Stevens and Alisha Weir are the highlights), a simple yet effective premise and a confidently pulpy aesthetic, the flick hits the right tone and emerges as a bloody good time that will have you baring your fangs throughout.
Review of Abigail
